Plastic material

Abstract

An improved material comprising the reaction product of an A-side having a prepolymer isocyanate and a B-side having a cross-linker comprising a multifunctional alcohol, a first vegetable oil, preferably a blown / oxidized vegetable oil, most preferably a blown / oxidized soybean oil, and a catalyst and the method of producing the same.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0002]This application is a division of and claims the benefit of U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 10 / 253,252, filed on Sep. 24, 2002 and now U.S. Pat. No. 6,624,244 which is a continuation of Ser. No. 09 / 646,356, filed Sep. 14, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,465,569, which is based upon and claims the benefit of PCT Application No. PCT / US99 / 21511, WO 00 / 15684, filed on Sep. 17, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 154,340, filed Sep. 17, 1998, which has now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,686.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Because of their widely ranging mechanical properties and their ability to be relatively easily machined and formed, plastic foams and elastomers have found wide use in a multitude of industrial and consumer applications. In particular, urethane foams and elastomers have been found to be well suited for many applications. Automobiles, for instance, contain a number of c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention relates to a material that includes a reaction product of an A-side comprising a prepolymer isocyanate and a B-side comprising a first vegetable oil, a cross-linking agent comprising a multi-functional alcohol, and a catalyst. The technical effect of this invention is the production of a material that has improved properties, such as increased flexibility and durability, which can be achieved by using specific components and a specific method of preparation."

Problems solved by technology

Further, use of petrochemicals such as polyester or polyether polyols is disadvantageous for a variety of reasons.

These required efforts add to the cost of polyols and to the disadvantageous environmental effects of its production.

Also, the price of polyols tends to be somewhat unpredictable as it tends to fluctuate based on the fluctuating price of petroleum.

Also, as the consuming public becomes more aware of environmental issues, there are distinct marketing disadvantages to petrochemical-based products.

Such plastics, however, are not suitable for use in applications that call for the particular properties of urethanes.

Since urethanes don't utilize proteins in their formulations, soy proteins are not relevant to the manufacture of urethanes.

Moreover, in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 2,833,730, relatively low cross-linker concentrations are urged, resulting in questionable product stability.

Further, use of a particular isocyanate, namely toluene diisocyanate, is disclosed, which is disadvantageous due to its relatively high toxicity.